Apparatus for rolling sheet and tin plate.



PATENTED NOV. 7, 1905.

P. E. BONNER.

APPARATUS FOR ROLLING SHEET AND TIN PLATE.

APPLIGATION FILED MAE.17, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES.

v INVENTOR. Z @%a No. 803,568. PATBNTED NOV. 7, 1905. P. E. BONNER.

APPARATUS FOR ROLLING SHEET AND TIN PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED may], 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FIG. 3

4 o WlTfiEi/SES. INVENTOR.

MLI- M]? C w v 2m: 1; Zia; 40 L fi UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PERCY E.'DONNER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 7, 1905.

Application filed March 17,1905. Serial No. 250,629.

To all whom, it 11mg concern.-

Be it known that I, PERCY E. DONNER, a resident of Pittsburg, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Apparatus for Rolling Sheet and Tin Plate; and Ido hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

My invention relates to apparatus for rolling sheet metal; and it isdesigned to provide improved apparatus whereby ordinary sheetbars arereduced ata continuous operation to such a gage that they can afterwardwith one heating and at one operation be reduced to such lighter gagesas are used for tin-plating and similar purposes.

In the rolling of sheet metal it has been proposed to use a continuousmill having a plurality of pairs of two-high rolls arranged-in tandemthrough which the plate-bar passes in succession and is gradually andprogressively reduced in thickness. Metal sheets, however, when runsingly through rolls cannot be reduced beyond a certain gage and notsufficiently thin for commercial uses, this being due to the fact thatafter the plate has been reduced a certain amount sufficient pres surecannot be exerted by the ordinary adjusting mechanism of the rolls tofurther reduce the same. Consequently it has always been the custom tomatch up two or more partially-reduced plates-that is, place one uponthe other-and then pass the pile through reducing-rolls. In this way therolls develop sufficient pressure to further reduce the plates. Thismatching of the plates has also been proposed with reference tocontinuous reducing-mills, it being the custom to provide a gap or spacebetween two contiguous pairs of rolls of the continuous mill or, morestrictly speaking, to have two continuous mills with a gap or spacebetween the same, in which gap or space is placed mechanism providedwith stops for matching up two or more plates. All apparatus of thiskind proposed prior to my inventions has necessitated the placing of thesecond reducing-train at a lower level than the first reducing-train.This arrangement is objectionable, as many mill-floors and ground-sitesare such that the second train cannot advantageously be placed at alower level than the first reducing-train.

The object of my invention is to provide apparatus of the generalcharacter above described and in which the objection named is avoided.

To this end the invention consists, generally stated, in placing thesecond reducingtrain at the same or a higher level than the firstreducing-train, thus adapting the double train to mill-floors orground-sites having obstructions in the way of placing the second trainlower than the first train, and in providing a matching device betweenthe two trains which is arranged so as to receive the plates from thefirst train and deliver the pack into the second train on a level withor higher than the rolls from which the plates were received by thematcher.

The invention also consists in details of construction and arrangementhereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of arolling-mill plant embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic sideelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view, on an enlarged scale, ofthe matcher. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same, and Fig. 5 is anend elevation of the same.

In the drawings, 1 represents a heating-furnace having chambers 2, 3,and 4, in which the plate-bars are heated. This furnace may be of anyknown type, heated in any suitable way, and having any desiredarrangement for charging the plates into and drawing them out of thesame. This furnace will be provided with as many chambers as arenecessary, or, iffpreferred, a number of separate furnaces may beemployed. In this furnace the plate-bars are brought to the properrolling heat and are then reduced in the apparatus to be described.

My rolling-mill comprises two continuous tandem trains 5 and 6, each ofwhich may be made up of as many pairs of two-high rolls as is necessary.I have shown the first train made up of five pairs of two-high rollsarranged in tandem and numbered 7, 8, 9, l0, and 11, respectively; but Imay vary this number without departing-from my invention. Placed infront of each pair is a feed-table or conveyor 12, which may be of anysuitable type, those shown consisting of a series of sprocket-chainspassing at their ends over sprocket-wheels. The sprocket-wheels at oneend of the chains are mounted upon a shaft 13, driven by suitablebeveled gears 14 from a counter-shaft 15, extending along the side ofthe train. In this manner the chains will be positively driven to feedthe bar in succession through the several pairs of rolls. The secondtrain is IIO shown as consisting of three sets of two-high rolls,numbered 16, 17, and 18, respectively; but the number thereof may bevaried as desired. Between these sets of rolls likewise are placedfeed-tables 12 of the same character as just described in connectionwith the first train and driven in the same way. From the last set ofrolls of the second train a conveyer 19 carries the sheets to a doubler20, which may be of any well-known form of apparatus for this purposeand by means of which the sheets are doubled. They are then conveyed toa reheating-furnace, wherein they are again raised to the desiredtemperature and then passed through further reducing or finishing rolls.They will be doubled and reheated and rerolled as many times asnecessary to bring them to the desired gage. As the apparatus forperforming the later steps of the operation is not new with me it isneither shown nor described.

In the drawings the tandem trains 5 and 6 are shown in line with eachother and with the second train at the same elevation as the first trainand the matcher 21 located between said trains. This arrangement,however, is not absolutely essential, as the trains5 and 6 may be placedparallel with each other, but out of line, and the matcher arranged notonly to match up the plates but to move them sidewise into line with thesecond train, as shown and described in my application filed September14, 1904, Serial No. 224,453, or the two trains 5 and 6 may be arrangedat an angle with reference to each other and the matcher mounted so asto have an oscillatory movement,as shown and described in my applicationfiled September 14, 1904, Serial N 0. 224,454. In all arrangements,furthermore, the second train may be either at the same level with thefirst train or at a higher level. With the latter arrangement it isnecessary that the matcher have a slightly greater vertical movementthan when the second train is arranged on the same level with the firsttrain; but in all other particulars the arrangement can be the same.

The matching device 21 may be of any suitable or desirable form, thatshown in the drawings comprising bars or plates placed in front of therolls 11, as shown in Fig. 4, in order that the plates emerging from thelast set of rolls of the first reducing-train can be fed by the rollsonto the matcher and one upon the other. At the forward end of thematcher is a retractable stop or stops 22, which will arrest the forwardtravel of the plates and match up the forward ends thereof. The stops 22are shown as fingers mounted on a rock-shaft 23 and are normally heldelevated or in the path of the plates by means of a counterweighted arm24. The rock-shaft 23 may be actuated to depress the fingers 22 by anysuitable means, such as the lever 25. It is also desirable to have meansfor matching up the side edges of the plates.

This also may be of various forms-such, for instance, as the means shownfor this purpose in the patent to C. W. Bray, No. 718,974, January 27,1903. In the drawings this means is shown as a stop 26, mounted on oneside of the matcher and preferably being adjustable, so that it mayserve also as a guide or gage for directing the sheets into the secondset of reducing-rolls. In conjunction with this side stop suitable meanswill be provided for moving the plates sidewise into contact therewith,thereby matching up the side edges. This means is shown as a bar 27,connected to levers 28, which are connected by a link 29 to anactuating-lever 31. A counterweight may be used for returning the bar 27to its normal position. The stop-fingers 22 serve to match up the frontend of the plates, while the 'bar 27 and side stop 26 serve to match upthe side edges of the plates, and'the stop 26 also serves as a guide orgage to position the sheets for entering the second set of reducingrolls.

When the plates emerge from the last set of rolls 11 of the firstreducing-train, they pass over a suitable stationary plate 33 into thebite of a pair of feed-rollers 34, which feed said plates into thematching device. At the entrance of the second train is placed anotherpair of feed-rollers 35, which will feed the piled plates into thesecond train over a suitable stationary plate or table 36. Both sets offeed-rollers 34 and 35 will be positively driven by any suitablemechanism, such as by sprocket-chains from the contiguous rollshafts.

In order to deliver the matched plates at the same or a higher levelthan that in which they were received, it is necessary that the matcherhave a vertical movement. This may be accomplished in many ways such,for instance, as by moving the matcher bodily vertically, as by mountingit on the upper end of the piston-rod of a suitable power-cylinder,whereby the matcher can be raised after receiving a pair of plates fromthe first reducing-rolls to such a height that the delivery end of thematcher will be on a level with the receiving-pass of the secondreducing-train. Preferably, however, the matcher will be mounted so thatits rear end alone will be verticall y movable and is so shown in thedrawings. The matcher-frame 37 is mounted on horizontal pivots 38,located, preferably, near the delivery end of said matcher. Thereceiving end has connected thereto the piston-rod of a power-cylinder40, arranged vertically below the matcher and preferably pivoted so thatit can swing and accommodate itself to the changing angle of thematcher. The stroke of this power-cylinder will be sufficient to elevatethe rear end of the matcher to such a height that the plates will slideby gravity against the retractable stops 22, and thus have their frontends matched up, and when said stops are retracted will slide into thesecond reducingtrain. Preferably the pivot of the table will be placedas far forward as possible, so that when the rear end of the matcher iselevated the front end thereof will be also slightly elevated.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The plate-bars are raisedin the furnace 1 to the desired temperature and are then fed to orplaced upon the feed-table 12 in front of the first pair of rolls of thefirst reducing-train. cession through the several sets of rolls of thefirst reducing-train, being carried from one set of rolls to the otherby the feed-tables described. When the sheets emerge from the last setof rolls of the first train, they pass over the table 33 and through therollers 34:, which feed the same forward onto the matcher. The rolls 34will feed the one plate onto the other, and as soon as the desirednumber of plates have been fed onto the matcher the attendant will movethe lever 31 and through the bar 27 push the sheets sidewise on thematcher against the side stop 26, thus matching up the side edgesthereof. He will then admit pressure to the power-cylinder LO, thusraising the rear end of the matcher and bringing the same to an inclinedposition. The plates will then slide by gravity until their forward endsstrike the stop-fingers 22, thus having their front ends matched. Theattendant will then operate the lever 25 and depress the stop-fingers22, and the matched plates will slide by gravity into the bite of thefeed-rollers 35, which will feed the same into the secondreducing-train. The matcher will then be lowered to its originalposition to receive another pile of plates. The stop-fingers 22 willhave been automatically returned to normal position by the counterweight24, and the pushing-bar 27 likewise will have been returned to itsnormal position. In this position another pile of plates will bereceived in the matcher, one

upon the other, and will have their side edges matched up, and thematcher will then again be raised to cause the plates to slide againstthe end stops and have their forward ends matched. when said stops willbe retracted and the plates delivered to the second set ofreducing-rolls. The piled sheets will pass through the secondreducing-train and will They pass singly and in sue then be taken to thedoubler 20, where they will be doubled and then manipulated in themanner which is the ordinary practice-that is, reheated, rerolled, andredoubled as often as is necessary to reduce the same to the desiredgage. When the sheets emerge from the mill, they will be about fromsixteen to twenty-six gage, depending upon the thickness and characterof sheet-bar used. In this condition they will be sufficiently thin formany commercial purposes, and therefore need not be doubled and reheatedand rerolled. For tin-plate, however, and many other purposes the gagewill often have to be further reduced, and consequently said sheets willbe doubled, reheated, and rerolled.

My apparatus has the advantage of adapting a continuous automaticrolling process for sheet metal to mill floors or sites in which thesecond continuous reducing -train must be placed at the same or a higherlevel than the first reducing-train.

What I claim is 1. In apparatus for rolling sheet metal, the combinationof two sets of reducing-rolls, a matching device located between saidsets of rolls, a stop at the delivery end of said matcher, and powermechanism for raising the rear end of said matcher and bringing thelatter into position to deliver to the second set of reducing-rolls.

2. In apparatus for rolling sheet metal, the combination of two sets ofreducing-rolls, a matching device located between said sets of rolls andpivoted adjacent to its delivery end, a retractable stop at the deliveryend of said matcher, and power mechanism for raising the rear end of thematcher.

3. In apparatus for rolling sheet metal, the combination of two sets ofreducing-rolls, a matching device located between said sets of rolls andpivoted forward of its delivery end, suitable stop mechanism in saidmatcher, and power mechanism for raising the receiving end of saidmatcher.

In testimony whereof I, the said PERCY E. DONNER, have hereunto set myhand.

PERCY E. DON NER.

Witnesses:

ROBERT C. 'IoTTEN, G. C. RAYMOND.

